iOS 4.2 For iPhone and iPad Users

iOS 4.2 for Apple IPhone and IPad made its first appearance on Monday, November 22, 2010.

It’s actually a must-have upgrade for the iPhone and iPod Touch, even more so for iPad users. Want to multitask on your iPad? Now you CAN!! For iPad users, you would be glad to know that the latest software update enables multitasking! It finally brings the iPad up to speed and now the iPad is getting all the features we know and enjoy on our iPhones, features such as: multitasking, a unified email inbox, Game Center and folders.

This new iOS4.2 also brings AirPrint wireless printing and AirPlay media streaming to all current-gen devices (not for 3G users unfortunately). Our HP All in One printer at home is giving us problems – it takes 20 minutes to print one page – yup that’s right it’s 1p/20mins not 20pp/min! So now it’s perfect excuse to get myself an ‘air-print’ enabled printer :D – PC Fair in Penang is this week, so at least now I have an agenda – ha! But then again on second thoughts, it’s still too early stage to be diving into such a purchase – I’ll be patient.

Ok, I shouldn’t digress. As I am more of an iPhone user, in specific, iPhone 4, I shall be commenting here on the Pros and Pros of the latest iOS 4.2 software update more towards iPhones.

Yours truly updated her 2 month old iPhone on 25th November 2010 after updating her Itunes to version ... 10.1/2 (i can't really remember). The only hitch I faced during updating was having to stop the downloads halfway a couple of times - but that's cause I didn't take into account that it takes some time to download the software and being the restless person I am, staying put in one place for a long period of time, is not my forte. Anyway, I ended up leaving my trusted Mac to do the downloads while I drifted off to 'Slumberland' late that Thursday night and when I got up, I just had to run the updates and VOILA! my beloved iPhone is now running on the latest iOS!

The one improvement I welcome most is the feature of 'Find my Iphone'. This feature is only available for the iPhone 4, iPad or new iPod touch (fourth generation). You can access Step to Step setup via this link click here. This free feature comes in handy only during unfortunate times – but I have foresight J

Anyway, for those of you out there who are still in the dark about what 'Find my iPhone' feature really is, listen up :). Today this feature comes without a need for a MobileMe subscription.

If everyone is like me, misplacing things is a norm. But the good news is, today if we misplace our iPhones, this 'Find My iPhone' can help you find it - for FREE. The ability to remotely locate your iPhone is one of the most appreciated features. First you just gotta enable Find My iPhone in the MobileMe settings on your iPhone and do the usual set up and what not, then if and when you choose to unwittingly leave your iPhone behind somewhere then sign in to me.com from any computer or using the Find My iPhone app on another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to display its approximate location on a full-screen map. I haven’t been able to really try it out proper yet since in this age and time, it’s hard to do without a phone – unless one of these days I consciously leave it at home J

If you remember that you actually left your iPhone at your friend's office or in your friend's car then, not to worry. You can write a message that will be displayed on your iPhone. Something like, “Hey, left my phone in your car/office. Can you please keep the phone till I see you next or can you please call me at 012-987654 and I'll collect it from you.” The message sent will pop up on your iPhone screen even if it’s locked.

And if the map shows you that your iPhone or iPad is nearby — say, at home under your pile of dirty laundry, yet you still can’t find it, you can tell MobileMe to play a sound that overrides the ringer volume or silent setting on your device - very useful.

The other feature of Find My iPhone that would have come in handy for me on that fateful night early this year, is the Remote Wipe feature. Losing an iPhone is like losing 'virtually' everything!!! When I lost my iPhone early this year, it was like losing 'a part of my life'. It could be because we didn't back up most of our data but in my case, it was just that my iPhone contained personal information, information and photos that I DO NOT want it to fall into the hands of a total STRANGER!!! I didn't have a password lock on my old iPhone, I was rather complacent - my FB, Skype, Mailboxes, Photos, Addresses, Videos n etc were totally accessible to that stranger! But today if you lose your iPhone or iPad and displaying a message on it hasn't resulted in its safe return, then you can initiate this Remote Wipe to restore your iPhone or iPad to its factory settings - so that these people would not have access to the information and/or pictures in it. But of course I hope that, that fateful day does not come for me – AGAIN! Touchwood J  This is the message you might just want to send to the stranger 

Find my Iphone App

[Updates: Find my iPhone app led to arrest - For breaking news and for those with second thoughts about downloading this app please click on this link click here

Ok…..now let’s look at the AirPrint feature. This feature will let you print from your iOS devices and their apps, over the air, to either shared or AirPrint-enabled printers. Kinda of like a ‘wifi’ printer – I think. Ok, this is me, a week after I started writing this piece. Today I can tell you more about this AirPrint feature. It’s a  REAL COOL FEATURE! Last Saturday, I got us a HP Photosmart Wireless All-in-One Printer - B110 Series from the PC Expo held over the weekend. It can scan, copy, print and best of all… it can be done wirelessly! Wireless stuff is good for lazy people like me who just don’t want to be ‘tied’ down to one place. Now I can just print from the comfort of my bed, or kitchen and etc… J It also has this ‘EPrint’ feature where it allows you to send an email to the printer’s address and the printer (connected to internet) would just print the email together with the attachments therein. You can be sitting in a café down the road, or in a café right across the atlantic ocean J Yeah, it’s pretty cool. And to top it all …. Photos, contacts can now be directly printed from iPhones and iPads. Just go download the ‘ePrint’ app for free! Ha! Yes it’s real fun!

Anyway not to bore you further and before I conclude, for those who are ignorant... about iOS 4.2 Software Update. In a nutshell, this update contains improvements, including the following:

• AirPrint

  - Print mail, photos, web pages, and more directly to

     AirPrint compatible printers on a local wireless network

• AirPlay

  - Wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos to

     Apple TV

  - Wirelessly stream music to AirPlay compatible speakers

     and receivers, including AirPort Express

• FaceTime improvements

  - Initiate calls with Voice Control

  - Initiate calls from an SMS conversation

  - Support for Bluetooth accessories

• Find text on the web page in Safari

• New fonts setting available for Notes

• New SMS/MMS text tones and the ability to set custom

   tones per contact

• Additional restrictions (parental controls) available:

  - Account settings

  - App deletion

  - Game Center friends

  - Location settings

• Ability to import .ics files into Calendar

• Bug fixes, including:

  - Eliminates sound artifacts occasionally captured in

     recorded audio with 4th generation iPod touch

  - Improves audio playback to car stereos via USB

Products compatible with this software update:

• iPhone 4

• iPhone 3GS

• iPhone 3G

• iPod touch 2nd generation or later

Please however take note that not all improvements apply to all models.

So AirPrint currently supports only to wireless printers, and to a very select group of wireless printers for now. For now the list is only seven printers, all from HP. Here’s the list as of today (11/22/10):

            HP Envy eAll-in-One series (D410a)

            HP Photosmart Plus e-AiO (B210a)

            HP Photosmart Premium e-AiO (C310a)

            HP Photosmart Premium Fax e-AiO (C410a)

            HP Photosmart e-AiO (D110)

            HP Photosmart Wireless e-AiO (B110)—Europe and Asia-Pacific

            HP Photosmart eStation (C510)

And so with everything you need to know, plug in your device and update away!

Christmas is Here (Almost)

iPad in Malaysia at last!

The coveted Apple iPad has hit the Malaysian shores!!! – And it is right now sitting in the many Switch outlets…!

Oh how I wish I have a fairy godmother who would present me a brand new iPad as my 2010 Christmas gift!!

But then again NOTHING in this world comes FREE - so I just have to work hard, earn Enough to accumulate and accommodate my BASIC needs :D - in time for iPad 2 which is rumoured to be launched during Spring in US - i.e. sometime April onwards? But then again it may be announced sometime early next year, there really isn't any way to confirm this just yet - so stay tune.

So for now, just a quickie..

This is the price list for the respective iPads on sale in Malaysia, said to be one of the cheapest prices in the world!


iPad 16G wifi RM1549

iPad 32G wifi RM1849

iPad 64G wifi RM2149

iPad 16G 3G RM1999

iPad 32G 3G RM2299

iPad 64G 3G RM2599


Stumbled upon soyacincau, this is the leaked data plans for Maxis - 'taken verbatim'

"Maxis offers both postpaid and prepaid plans for the iPad. For postpaid, they offer 3.5GB, 6.0GB and 15.0GB monthly data plans at RM70, RM90 and RM200 respectively. It looks like there’s also an additional RM10 rebate if you’re an existing iValue or iData subscriber.

If the data quota of your subscribed plan is not enough, you can top up additional 500MB at RM8 which last for a day or RM18 for 500MB that’s valid for 30 days. Topping up additional 1GB will cost RM28 a month.
For prepaid users, they offer a range from as low as RM8/day for 500MB, all the way to the more expensive RM200 for 15GB a month.

Looking at the standalone postpaid plans, the cost per GB will be calculated as follows:
RM70 for 3.5GB=RM20/GB
RM90 for 6.0GB=RM15/GB
RM200 for 15GB=RM13.33/GB

When calculated cost per GB, the iPad data plans are cheaper than the normal Maxis plans but it is still costlier than U Mobile & DiGi’s offering."

So, for those of you who can't wait to lay their hands on iPad, beg, borrow or steal – Easier said than done!

Iphone 4 is finally hitting Malaysian shores!!!!!

The wait is almost over! 7 1/2 months, and I SURVIVED!!! I am counting the days!!!

Confirmation is out that Maxis is expected to hold a grand launch party for invited guests at the stroke of midnight on Sept 24 and the device will be available the next day at selected outlets (what a bummer - that means I have to still wait) and at all other outlets NATIONWIDE (i.e Penang) from Sept 27th.

You can check out Maxis Iphone 4 rates and plans at thislink


Ok that's all for now as since Iphone 4 has not hit the shores.. i better hit the sack..

P/S: Only Black ones available. Rumours is that the White ones will be coming in only later

Maxis Will Launch Iphone 4-

Is Malaysia one of the 88 countries to receive Iphone 4 in September???

This is what Maxis have to say:-

“Maxis Berhad will launch iPhone 4, the thinnest smartphone in the world with the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, in Malaysia in the coming months.”

The iPhone4 was just announced at the WWDC, so there's no word yet on pricing or any exact launch dates (Malaysia) Rumour is that it will be sold at the same pricing as the 3GS last year (RM 2990).

Stay tuned! Meanwhile..Black or White?? Definitely 32GB!

Features of the new Iphone 4

Here's what you need to know about your Iphone 4

Claimed to be the thinnest smart phone in the world, it is built out of stainless steel and glass. It's boxy looking tho :) - but you may forgive its looks once you read and submerge yourself in its features listed inter alia as follows:-

1) The All new 5-megapixel camera

And a smaller, front-facing camera on the Iphone 4 will be a welcome addition for many Apple fans - enabling Facetime experience - i.e. video calling. With just a tap, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — for now... it is only available for iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. So friends of mine, ... time for an upgrade and for those who do not own one ... time to GET ONE!!!


2) The Retina Display

Highest Resolution phone screen presents the sharpest, most vibrant images for viewing - it will give a wider viewing angel so that everything appears more beautiful

3) MultiTasking

Hear! Hear! iPhone 4 introduces a whole new way of multitasking. Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily. The non existence of this feature was an inconvenience to most if not all iphone users, but this will all come to past.


4) Microphones & Speaker

While most phones have only one microphone, iPhone 4 has two. The main mic, located on the bottom next to the speakers, is for phone and FaceTime calls, voice commands, and memos. The second mic, built into the top near the headphone jack, is for making your phone and video calls better. It works with the main mic to suppress unwanted and distracting background sounds, such as music and loud conversations. This dual-mic noise suppression helps make every conversation a quiet one.


That's all for now folks!

I hope you are excited as myself and for those present owners of Iphone... meanwhile check out this link for IOS4 Software Update

http://www.apple.com/iphone/softwareupdate/

Finally! Iphone 4 Announced and Formally Introduced

Alas! Iphone 4g will be hitting the shelves!!! I am so really excited! Indeed it's worth the wait. If you do not know, I actually got my Iphone 3g 'taken away' from me sometime in February this year. Rather... stolen... contributory negligence... cause I actually left it at the counter at Starbucks :) ... why am i not feeling as bad as i felt months ago :) - what an excuse to get the latest one! YAY! HURRAH!!!!

It's worth every month/week/day/hour/minute/second of waiting - i can't wait to get my hands on this gadget -!!!!! Three more months hopefully it hit the shores of Malaysia... ... patience is virtue.

Price and availability of iPhone 4 were also announced. It comes in two colors, the black and white. Price is $199 USD for the 16GB model, and $299 USD for the 32GB model. Pre-orders of iPhone will start a week from now.

They will be shipping it to five countries first. The 5 countries are the US, France, Germany, UK, and Japan. In early July, they will ship the iPhone to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Swede, and Switzerland.

And by September 2010, they will ship the iPhone 4G in 88 countries - and hopefully Malaysia included!!!!

For more information... click on this link for a live feedback http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/07/steve-jobs-live-from-wwdc-2010 and http://www.jehzlau-concepts.com/news/1518/apple-iphone-4g-released-price-and-availability-announced.html


Stay tuned!

Love Lost...

“The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief...”

Losing things is awful! And to lose an I phone – is BEYOND awful! That fateful day was 16 February 2010 (3rd day of the Lunar New Year) at Starbucks, New World Park, Penang.

The feeling of ‘I’ve Lost It!!” does not hit immediately. First you get a passing thought that stays in your mind for about a split second and then when you get your brains to actually process the passing thought, you say ‘hmmm… where’s my iphone then?”. Then you will look for it in a calm manner, slowly at first - at places you think you normally would have them in/at and then faster and faster when you realize that you are searching in/at places where you know it shouldn’t even be there, which is about the same time that feeling starts to dawn on you – The ‘I’ve Lost It!” feeling.

You sit awhile and you think, and you try to retrace. You head over to the cashier’s counter, hopeful at first, but deep down you know, it’s gone! Yet you still believe in humanity, in the honesty of man and hence you won’t accept that it’s gone and you won’t stop searching…you go back again and again asking the same questions ‘did you come across an I phone – with a red cover?” – only to be told again and again “NO!”.

Losing an Iphone is like losing a part of you – though I must say it’s not as awful as losing your laptop, mac and/or netbook. Of course the sentimental value of it is what I MISS. From my earlier blogs you would know that, i got the new toy from Al just less than a year ago. I was overflowing with joy and excitement, researching on how to jailbreak, downloading the many, many applications, usurping the available 16Gb at a very fast pace, converting videos so that I can proudly show friends and family my ultimate bungee jumps, and a whole lot of other stuff. You can say that little gadget was my source of entertainment, education, knowledge, sociability, income, fun, relaxation and the list goes on.

I have come to realize that it’s not so much of losing the iphone, or losing the data in it – but it’s more of the fact that SOMEONE has got hold of your iphone and all that is in it. The personal data, the personal photographs and/or personal notes and/or previously downloaded emails – all accessible to a total stranger. A stranger who, after having browsed through that mobile device, would know more about me, than maybe even my parents and/or sister. Yes, iphone device is that personal to me!

We really don’t know what we miss, until we lose them and then we wonder, could we have done more to make life more difficult for the phone thief? Perhaps could we have password-locked our phones? Could we have signed up with mobile me? All these have been bugging me – if only I had taken more precautions.

I really dislike the ‘Lost It” feeling. It is that feeling that turns your gut into a ball of hopelessness and regret. I guess there’ll be other iphones – better ones – now It’s just a matter of time before I get my hands on the much rumoured I Phone 4 G! Question is – how long can I do without an I Phone?